Miked amp + d.i. for live shows

[govinds]

Hello fellow bass players. Need some help from you guys.

I am considering using both d.i. boxes and miked amps simultaneously to get my live bass tone since from my experience, I have found that they both have their advantages.

I have the d.i. box from mxr(m80) from which I will take an XLR out straight to the sound guy's console. I also have a practice amp which produces a nice, sweet warm bass tone which I would like to mic for gigs. The amp is not very powerful. It is a 25w orange amp.

My questions are:

1. Does having this d.i. and miked amp combination generally work for a live setup?

2. Is my 25w practice amp powerful enough to be miked for this purpose?

3. Do I need a special mic to use for bass frequencies?

4. Is my d.i. unit good enough for this?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[morgansterne]

using both is fine! but most likely you'll have some sound techs refuse to do both DI and mic.

you don't need a special mic for bass, but some mics have big high mid peaks if they're intended for vocals. You should be aware of the freq. response of the mic you are using. If you're using only a mic, consider investing in something that will capture the lows well. If you have a DI as well, the DI can carry any lows that an SM57 or other such mic might not capture.

that is a very low power bass amp, the smallest I've ever gigged with was a single 12", 120(?) watt SWR. You may need some support from monitors to hear yourself over a drummer.

if you can record at home, try mic'ing the amp vs. using your DI, match the volumes and see what sounds better to you. Don't assume you should use both just cuz you have both. One might sound way better than the other to you.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Either / or, not both. That way you know more or less what is going to the board.

You'll need to spend some time getting familiar with your DI tone if you go that way.

There is a very inexpensive full range mic. Akg P2

 

[ggunn]

I don't see a problem with using both if there is room on the board. That way the FOH guy can mix to taste.